Doctor Who: Flame Wars
by RedDragon30000
Summary: When the Doctor persuaded a young engineer to free an 'experiment', he had no idea how much impact this would create. As ancient secrets become unearthed, the earth trembles. The Flame Wars are about to begin. This story contains the First Doctor. RR
1. prologue

**Doctor Who Flame wars**

**Prologue**

He didn't want to do this. There were a thousand things he would rather be doing right now. He didn't want to think about the consequences if he was caught. Holding his breath, he noiselessly slid the stolen key card into the slot. The light on the electronic lock slid from red to green. So far so good. Now for the password. If he got this wrong, security would be alerted of the unauthorised entry, and he would instantly have failed. Sweating slightly with nerves, he keyed in the password, the one he hoped would open the door. With a satisfying hum, the door slid open. He let out the breath he had been holding in a sigh of relief.

The room he was in was only dimly lit, but he increased the light power up to maximum. His eyes slid the length of the room, studying its contents. When he looked at its centre he gasped out loud. In the centre of the room, from floor to ceiling was a stasis chamber. Floating in the chamber, apparently asleep, was a young girl. His eyes darkened in anger. It was a lie. It had all been a _lie._ The old man had been right when he told him what was in this room. He had seen many horrific things done to animals, dumb creatures that had no proper feelings. But to experiment on a _human_? And a child at that! He gritted his teeth. When he got out of here he would expose what had been going on. But first of all he would make Cronus feel all the pain and suffering that he had caused to his 'subjects'.

**Hurry David! You don't have much time left!** The voice caught David off guard. It was the voice of the old man who had persuaded him to do this task. He was right. He had to focus. Sprinting over to the control panel next to the stasis chamber, he keyed in the chamber realise code, the one the old man had given him. He backed away as the room vibrated slightly with realised power. The stasis chamber lit up, the stasis field slowly draining away. The girl slowly descended to the floor of the chamber. David activated the control that _should _have started the chamber sliding upwards, realising the occupant inside. To his horror, the mechanism jammed. Feverishly he pressed the button, but it was no good. The mechanism whined in protests to his actions, as it was still jammed. Then a new noise started up, quite different from the hum of powered machinery, and the protests of the jammed mechanism. It was a wheezing, groaning kind of noise, like an engine that was so old; it was beginning to wear out. There was a flicker in the air, and then a tall solid shape formed itself, out of thin air. The engine sound stopped. David's mouth dropped open. Where before there had just been metal cabinets, there was now a tall narrow blue box, with the words 'Public call Box' written at the top.

A slight sound from the centre of the room drew his attention back to the stasis field. What he saw made his blood run cold. The girl was now awake. Glowing amber eyes, slitted like a cat and with no whites, only that fiery amber, glared into his, almost paralysing him with the intensity of the girl's feelings. He backed away in fear. There was a sudden furious hammering on the door of the room. Fortunately he had remembered to lock it behind him when he had entered the room. The Security forces! He felt rising panic begin to take hold of him. Then the door of the blue box behind him swung open. The voice of the old man inside it penetrated his confusion.

"Come David! We have to get out of here!"

"But the girl-"

"There is nothing we can do for her! Do you have any idea how much power that child contains?! She can easily free herself. But if she does, it will destroy this entire building! Do you want to be inside when it goes up?"

David sighed.

"Alright, but I do want to see what becomes of her."

"You will do. Now come on!" David allowed himself to be pulled into the box by the old man. Angrily, he ripped off his Cronus Incorporated badge. He knew that he would never return here, and that his status as a Junior Engineer was now over. The only reason he had been able to complete this task was that he was a trusted and hardworking employee. In fact, the manager had been too trusting, carelessly allowing him access to where the senior staff kept their keys…


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

The girl hung on grimly to the tree root that was protruding over the edge of the cliff. Below her, the sea relentlessly battered the rocks that were jagged and seemed to be waiting for her to fall. She probably could have hung there all day, if that memory hadn't surfaced. In her mind's eye, she could see her father with his ivory handled dagger in his hand, the expression on his face was one of rage and a slight touch of fear. _Fear of me!_ She had thought joyfully. Her triumphant feeling had been replaced by one of pain, as her father cut her across the forehead with his dagger. The memory repeated itself, again and again. She tried to block it out but couldn't. Her grip on the tree root began to weaken. _Please somebody find me!_ She thought despairingly. Then far above her, a face appeared over the edge of the cliff, looking down at her. The face was that of an old man, with shoulder-length white hair.  
"Do you need any help child?"  
She bit back the angry reply she was about to give.  
"Yes! Please help me back up!"  
Her voice was choked with tears of desperation.  
The man lowered a rope and she grabbed onto it.  
The rope was pulled and she scrambled on to safe ground in a sobbing heap. She felt someone put a hand on her shoulder and she looked up. The old man was looking at her with concern. She noticed that he was carrying a walking cane.  
"What is your name?" she asked him.  
"I am known as the Doctor." was his calm reply.

She took in this information with no visible reaction. She directed her gaze to the Doctor's companions. There were three of them: a young man and woman who looked to be in their early thirties, and a young girl who looked about 15. Each of them smiled as she looked at them. She then turned back to the Doctor and was about to ask him the names of his companions, when he spoke.

"This is my Granddaughter Susan." he said, pointing to the young girl.  
"And these are my two friends, Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright." he said pointing to the young man and woman. She was very surprised that the Doctor had answered her question without her asking it. Maybe he could read peoples minds….

**Not quite Child, but I can catch the gist of what you mean.**

Her eyes narrowed. Evidently The Doctor had some skill with mental abilities.  
**Stay out of my head Doctor! **She snapped mentally, irritated. He chuckled at her annoyance and asked out loud:

"What is your name Child?"

"My name is Louise," She replied, "But most people call me Firestorm".

To her amazement, she noticed a blue box behind the Doctor, with the words 'Public call Box' located at the top...


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Part 1**

The Doctor turned round to see what she was staring at and then turned back to her.

"That blue box is my ship, called a TARDIS, it can go anywhere and any time period"

"You mean your ship can go absolutely _anywhere_?!"

The Doctor smiled at Firestorm's obvious excitement and then Ian made a comment from beside the TARDIS.

"Yes, it should work like that, only the Doctor can't control where we end up, isn't that right Doctor?" the Doctor turned round and glared at him, slightly annoyed that his superiority over his own ship had been reduced. At this, there was a slight giggle from Susan, hurriedly suppressed and her eyes widened as the Doctor turned to glare at her instead of Ian. After what seemed like an eternity of the Doctor's glare and Susan's wide-eyed embarrassment, the Doctor gave a small chuckle and ruffled her hair affectionately.

Turning to Firestorm once more, he enquired:

"What caused you to fall down that cliff? Surely you didn't come to the edge willingly?"

Firestorm avoided his eyes, and then muttered so quietly that her answer could hardly be heard:

"I was being chased by the villagers, and I thought this would be a good place to run to, as very few people will come this far to the edge. I was going too fast and slipped, but I managed to grab a tree root on the way down. That's when you found me."

"Why were they chasing you?"

Firestorm didn't answer this question, but instead looked down at her stained and ragged boots, shuffling her feet. It was obvious to the Doctor that Firestorm did not want to talk about this, so he let the matter drop. Suddenly, there was a shout from further down the cliff

"The brats up here! She won't get away this time!"

There was a sharp intake of breath from Firestorm, which made the Doctor look at her. All the blood seemed to drain from her face, her eyes were wide with fear and she had started to shake. The Doctor put a comforting arm round her, saying

"Don't worry Firestorm; we won't let them hurt you. Would you like to come with us?"

Firestorm was unable to speak because she was so scared, but managed a shaky nod. The Doctor led her to the door of the TARDIS, motioning for his companions to follow him. After unlocking the door, he gently pushed her inside, waited for the others to come in, then shut the doors and dematerialised the TARDIS.

**Part 2**

As soon as the Doctor pushed her into the TARDIS, she stopped dead, looking around her in amazement. She found it difficult to believe that such a big space could exist in so small a box. The walls were white, with patterns of circles on them. When Firestorm looked up, she couldn't see the ceiling, it was so high up that it was lost in shadows.

"You like it?" Firestorm jumped, she had been so absorbed in examining the TARDIS, that she hadn't noticed the Doctor walk up behind her, or watch her with an expression of amusement slowly coming onto his face.

"It's incredible!" she breathed.

"Thank you. Now, Susan will show you to your room, and I will inform you when we have landed" Firestorm didn't miss the implied fact that the Doctor knew exactly where they were headed. Barbara didn't either.

"You mean you know where we are going to end up?" She sounded half angry, half exasperated.

"If you know then that means you can control the ship! Why didn't you return Ian and myself home if that was the case?" Ian looked up from where he was examining the console to add his contribution as well.

"Yes Doctor, why? Why put our lives at risk with exploring dangerous planets when you could have got us home?" The Doctor gave a scathing shake of his head.

"Young man, it isn't as simple as that. I can only go to specific destinations if I have the precise co-ordinates. Now, the person I am planning to see has set up a homing beacon, so I know exactly where he is. I am sorry, but I do not know the precise location of Earth, and there is nothing to guide me there". While this conversation had been going on, Susan had come into the console room and was standing beside Firestorm as the Doctor finished speaking.

"Come with me Firestorm, I will show you where your room is." Susan said, indicating that Firestorm should follow her. She and Susan both walked into the labyrinth of the TARDIS corridors.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Firestorm followed Susan along what seemed like endless corridors, all with identical white walls with circles in them. After around twenty minutes or so, Susan stopped at a white door. Opening it, she waved Firestorm inside and followed her in. Once she was inside, Firestorm simply stopped dead and gaped at what lay within. The floor was covered in a soft scarlet carpet, which Firestorm could feel was soft, even through the soles of her boots (or perhaps that wasn't surprising: the soles of her boot were so thin that she would be able to feel the surface of any floor). The walls and every item of furniture was painted in various shades of red, and when Firestorm tipped her head back to look at the ceiling, she saw that a magnificent picture had been painted on it. Her eyes widened as she followed the story that was being played out in the picture. To her amazement, she saw _herself _in the picture. In many scenes she was fighting shadowy monsters and nightmarish creatures. She seemed to be fighting them with a sword in some places, which burned with magical flames. In others she was fighting with claws and fire. She gasped when she saw that. It was as if the painting was mapping out her life and somehow knew some of her most closely guarded secrets. An enormous red dragon appeared in the centre of the ceiling, with narrowed eyes and an expression of fury on its scaly face.

She jerked with shock as Susan slipped an arm through hers.

"Did I make you jump? Sorry. I didn't mean to". She smiled fondly at her, seeming amused by Firestorm's bewilderment over this magnificent room.

"It's…it's exactly the same as the room I've always dreamed about having! The only thing I never thought of was the painting"

Susan smiled again.

"There is one thing I should explain, the TARDIS is actually alive. Although Grandfather does not believe me".

A small frown crossed her face as she said this.

"The TARDIS knew what room you would most like to have, and decorated it accordingly. As for the painting… it seems as if the TARDIS has taken things from your mind. But I also think that it was more than the TARDIS that created it. There are some scenes from your future, as well as your past. I don't know what force it is or its purpose."

At this moment the Doctor walked in. Smiling at the girls, he put a hand on Firestorm's shoulder, squeezing lightly. She accepted this caress with caution, as she did not like people to touch her. She trusted Susan, so didn't mind her playful nudges. She cautiously took the Doctor's hand in hers, and the Doctor flashed her a fond smile, much the same as Susan's. The Doctor spoke with a soft and gentle voice in her head. **So you are beginning to overcome the barriers that years of mistreatment caused you to erect. Understand that not any of us would even _dream_ of hurting you. You are our responsibility now, and I care for you and love you like I would Susan. **Firestorm's mental voice was nervous and almost strangled with suppressed tears. **L-love? You really love me Doctor? **The tears flowed freely now, obscuring her vision. The Doctor's smile grew even fonder, and he slipped a gentle arm around her shoulders. **But of course! You really think I would put on an act? No, I really do love you, like you were my granddaughter. It is clear that you have not had much love, kindness or happiness in your life, so we will now try to provide as much as possible, to make up for what you have not had. **He carefully wiped her tears away with a handkerchief taken from the pocket of his trousers. Firestorm smiled as well, and then burst into tears again.

"I-im s-sorry…I-m just so h-happy…n-no one's ever treated me this way before". The Doctor gently put his arms round her, rocking her and murmuring soothing words until she stopped crying.

"It's alright Firestorm…we understand how you are feeling. It must be a shock for you to be treated with kindness, instead of people shouting at you and trying to hurt you. Now, let us get back to the console room, we have materialised".

He, Susan and Firestorm trooped out of the wondrous bedroom, and Firestorm shut the door. However, as she was turning away, some overwhelming inner instinct told her that she must mark her territory. Without even realising she was doing it, she placed a finger against the door, and concentrated until what looked like a small flame flickered on it. She traced the words 'Firestorm's Room' on the door. Where her finger touched, glowing fiery lines appeared flickering at irregular intervals like a real fire. The Doctor stared at her and then said in her mind **That was remarkable child! Where did you learn to do that? ** Appearing to sense her slight fear, the Doctor calmed her slightly saying **I don't mind about the door, it was almost as if those words were _meant _to be there. Very creative. ** Smiling again, he led the way back to the console room.

When they got to the console room, Ian and Barbara were already there, putting on coats. The Doctor handed one to Firestorm, and opened the doors by flicking a switch on the console. Firestorm was intrigued, and filed the switch away in her head as the one used to open the door. The Doctor smirked, as he knew exactly what she was doing. He knew that it was not that easy to control the ship. A switch that opened the door one day could materialise the ship the next. The TARDIS was a lot more complicated than Firestorm was thinking. As the Doctor closed and locked the doors, Firestorm looked around at the place that they had materialised in. It was a place that looked very much like the land she used to live in. The TARDIS was standing in the middle of a gravel drive, where a car was parked close to the door of a garage. Firestorm gazed at the house in front of them, to the others it was no bigger than a normal detached house, but to Firestorm it was almost a palace. The white front door was flung open and a young man stood there, beaming at the TARDIS crew almost as if he was expecting them. Firestorm realised with a jolt that he had, she remembered that the Doctor had said something about someone setting up a homing beacon. The young man walked towards the Doctor, hand outstretched and shook the Doctor's hand enthusiastically.

"How wonderful to see you Doctor! Have you been to any interesting places recently?"

The man appeared to think about this for a moment.

"What am I saying?! Of course you have!" Catching sight of the TARDIS in the drive, he complained

"Doctor! How am I meant to get the car out now? Oh well. I shall have to walk"

The Doctor tittered and poked David's stomach with his cane.

"Bad luck David! Well at least you can lose a few pounds from that chubby frame of yours!"

David frowned, muttering

"Oh leave off Doctor!" but Firestorm could see the twinkle in his eyes, and knew that he was only pretending to be angry. David greeted Susan, Ian and Barbara as enthusiastically as he had the Doctor, and it was obvious to Firestorm that they were old friends. She felt very awkward and out of place, and hung back slightly as David greeted Susan with a kiss and a bear-like hug. Lastly David turned to Firestorm, and his eyes widened in shock as he recognised her as the girl he had freed several years ago.

"My God!" he breathed.

"Can it be...?" Firestorm stared at him, recognising him as the man who had freed her and seemed her only friend in that hated laboratory. Suddenly, some of the traumatic memories that she had tried to suppress came back full force, and she cried out in pain and desperation, clutching her head as she began to experience them all over again…


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Authors note:** the following sequence (in bold) is a flashback that Firestorm is experiencing. From her point of view, it will appear as if it is really happening.

**Light, harsh and bright, burned her sensitive eyes, causing her to screw them shut. Then, one by one, all her senses alerted her to the fact that she has changed in some way. She felt metal under her bare feet. Lifting her arms, she felt a smooth surface on either side of her. As she tried to move forward, something was blocking her progress. As she still dared not trust herself to open her eyes, she cautiously put out a hand, and again felt a smooth surface. It was almost like glass, or plastic. She took a step backwards, coming into contact with _another _smooth surface at her back. A feeling of panic rose inside her. She was trapped! There was a sudden sound, a shoe scraping across the floor. It would be very faint to any normal listener, but she was not normal any more. To her, it sounded as loud as if she is standing next to the source of the sound. She couldn't keep her eyes shut any longer; she had to see what had made that noise. **

**She opened her eyes, waiting for the light to burn her eyes like before, but it didn't happen. She blinked rapidly a few times, but the light was not painful anymore. It was almost as if her eyes had automatically adjusted to the brightness. She suddenly saw a young man standing a few feet away from her. He had dark hair, and was wearing the overall of an engineer. From the expression on his face, he was absolutely petrified. She wondered what was causing this, and a horrible thought struck her. _Could he be frightened of me?_ She had no chance to find out. A blue box suddenly appeared behind him, and he was pulled inside. Then it disappeared, taking the only person who seemed a friend away from her. She felt anger that he had been taken away. There was a crash, and the door burst open, revealing a group of men with guns. One of them (who seemed to be a leader) stepped forward. He seemed surprised to see her, but quickly recovered, then pointed the gun he was holding at her head, bellowing an order. She didn't understand what he had said, but right now she didn't care. Now she was angry. Angry that the young man had been taken, away, angry that she was trapped. Now this threatening man added to everything else was just too much. She vented her feelings by letting out an inhuman howl, the noise seemingly too loud and strange for her to have made it. The howl grew louder, until the room echoed with it. The room began to shake. Suddenly, there a glow surrounded her; it shimmered and then grew brighter. The glow turned into flames that consumed the barriers around her, but did not do anything to hurt her. The watching men looked panic-stricken, then the leader gave a sharp order, and they all fled out of the room. The flames surrounding her seemed to stand still for a moment, and then with a dull roar, the building exploded. **

"Firestorm!" a voice was calling her. **Firestorm! **And another. The voices broke through her memories, and she became aware of her surroundings. She was lying on her back on the gravely surface of David's drive. By the way most of the gravel around her was scattered and flung around, she must have been moving violently. She was breathing quickly, and every so often she shuddered. She felt hands taking hold of her, and she was lifted to her feet. David took her by the shoulders and peered with concern into her face. "Are you alright Firestorm? What happened?" She shuddered again, and David looked even more concerned. "I think so. Traumatic memories that I long ago tried to suppress were released, and I had a flashback, experiencing them all over again. I think it was seeing you again that triggered this". From behind David, the Doctor nodded thoughtfully. David was still looking concerned. "Are you sure you're alright?" She nodded, and David patted her shoulder. "Why don't we all go inside?" he indicated the open door. They all trooped inside, David and Firestorm bringing up the rear. The Doctor shot her a quizzical look before wiping his hoes on the doormat and stepping inside. No one noticed the man in the shadows, gazing after Firestorm with a greedy look on his face…


End file.
